Event Details

Library Events for the Month of March

Thursday, March 1, 2018

March 2018

Both libraries are closed on Good Friday, March 30, 2018

Save the Date!

Greetings!

...for the fifth annual Norwalk LitCrawl on Tuesday, April 3! This year we will convene at the Wall Street Theater at 5:30 and then move out to read our favorite poems at the restaurants from 6:30 to 8:00. We ask participants for a $10 donation to Norwalk Reads in exchange for a wonderful evening on Wall Street. Contact me at cbradley@norwalkpl.org if you want to share your favorite poem!

In the meantime, you can warm up your winter Sunday afternoons with concerts by Jim Clark and Friends; Nicole Pasternak (March 11), Tracey Marble (March 18), and Cookie Thomas (March 25). And we celebrate Women's History month with a special presentation by Libby Skala, Lilia!,about her grandmother who broke barriers that would be considered daring even by today's standards.

The SoNo branch continues to encourage our youth with HomeworkHELPers, SuperSTEM Day Camp, M in STEM, and Girls who code.

Chris

Norwalk History Room Online Database

Our first online records are postcards of Norwalk scenes, most dating from the beginning of the 20th century. We will follow these with regular additions from our collection of thousands of documents and photographs. Search by keyword or use the advanced search feature. The postcards can also be viewed randomly.

The Norwalk History Room and archive combines the library's former Local History Collection with the archival collections of the former Norwalk Museum. The lower level of the main library building at 1 Belden Avenue houses this large array of published and unpublished books and papers, photographs and maps, and more, covering over 300 years of Norwalk history.

The mission of the Norwalk Public Library History Room is to preserve the archival materials, including manuscripts, photographs, maps, newspapers, and books, which illustrate the history of Norwalk, Connecticut. This History Room online database will further our goal of promoting knowledge and appreciation of the long history and rich cultural heritage of the Town of Norwalk.

A light lunch will be provided by the library.
"Genealogy: Meet Your Ancestors!" is a three-part series presented by Phebe A. Kirkham and the Norwalk Public Library History Room. Phebe Kirkham is a retired Head of Reference of New Canaan Library where she has presented genealogy programs. She has also presented these programs at the Senior Center and the Historical Society. Phebe is a member of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, and the German Genealogy Group. She is a volunteer record indexer and a certificate holder from Boston University Online Genealogical Research Program.

March 5 - the NPL History Room staff will feature local resources that are available for those with ancestral roots in Norwalk and Connecticut. Register Online

A granddaughter's captivating tale of a remarkable woman
The internationally acclaimed one-woman show, Lilia!, about the extraordinary life of Oscar-nominated actress Lilia Skala, written and performed by her granddaughter Libby Skala, will be presented by the Norwalk Public Library in the Main Auditorium. A light lunch will be provided by the Library.

Lilia Skala was Austria's first female architect, and went on to become a stage star in Max Reinhardt's theatre and all over the German speaking world. In 1939 when Hitler invaded her home country, she fled to America as a penniless political refugee, not speaking a word of English, and started life again as a humble zipper factory worker to support her family. She attended night school and within two years she was cast in a Broadway show. Her career on stage, in TV and film, continued for five decades, culminating with Oscar-nominated Hollywood fame in "Lilies of the Field", in 1963, acting alongside Sidney Poitier.Tracing their intimate relationship over 20 years, in which Lilia served as mentor, teacher and role model, Libby plays both her indomitable grandmother and herself. It's a tale of two spirits so alike they often suffer the ironic personal conflict that comes with deep love. In this creative way, Libby relates the story of her Austrian grandmother's escape from war-torn Europe, and the shame she suffers in this "demotion" to refugee and factory worker, to the final, victorious stardom on the Silver Screen. She also humorously portrays a grande dame reaching into her own experience to aid her granddaughter pursue a career in

film and on stage. "As a teenager, when I began studying acting, my grandmother passionately worked with me on the different scenes and monologues I needed to perform for class," says Libby. "When she 'demonstrated' how to perform the ingénue roles, she transformed so completely that I believed she was 16 years old more than I'd ever believed anyone was 16. To this day, she is the greatest actress I've seen."

Playwright/Actress Libby Skala has performed Lilia! to sold-out houses across North America, in London, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and in Berlin and Dresden, Germany. Her second play A Time to Dance, has toured North America and she appeared in the film "Birth" with Nicole Kidman.

I'm happy to announce my new concert series at the Norwalk Public Library

"Jim Clark & Friends"

I have asked some of my awesome vocalist friends to join me - Each will have their own concert, and I will be on stage to support them, along with a rhythm section.

Here is the lineup:

March 11 - Nicole Pasternak

March 18 - Tracey Marble

March 25 - Cookie Thomas

These are all Sunday afternoon concerts, from 3-4pm in the auditorium

Free Admission

Hope to see you this Sunday, March 11, when Nicole Paternak is featured vocalist!

Edward VII, "Uncle of Europe": Four-Part Series

The Danish Rose - Part 2

Friday, March 16

12:00 - 1:30 pm

Main Library Auditorium

The Norwalk Public Library is pleased to present a four-part series, "Edward VII, 'Uncle of Europe' " by historian and reference librarian Dr. Mona Garcia. Known for her ability to make history come alive, Mona will introduce Edward VII, the son and heir of Queen Victoria, who waited fifty-nine years to become King. If his mother, Queen Victoria was the grandmother of Europe, Edward VII was truly the uncle of Europe.

For those who love historical fiction, romance and intrigue, you won't want to miss the real stories behind the fiction! Save the dates, and register now for these programs that will take place on Fridays at 12 Noon, in the Main Auditorium, located at 1 Belden Avenue, Norwalk. A light lunch will be provided courtesy of the library.

Friday, March 16 - Register"The Danish Rose" - The search for the perfect bride ends with the selection of the most beautiful princess in Europe, Alexandra of Denmark. Can this Danish beauty keep Bertie's eye from wandering?

Friday, May 4 - Register
"The Children of Edward VII" - While raising a family with his lovely wife, Alexandra, Bertie finds various ways of keeping himself amused while waiting to become king.

Friday, May 25 - Register"Uncle of Europe" - With four nieces married to monarchs or future monarchs, Bertie is truly the Uncle of Europe. But his years as Prince of Wales and King are complicated by his nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm II, the German Emperor.

In Parisian Charm School: French Secrets for Cultivating Love, Joy, and That Certain je ne sais quoi, bestselling author Jamie Cat Callan reveals how her interactions with Parisian women, and their ability to incorporate charm into seemingly all aspects of their lives, showed her how this unassuming attribute was integral to their irresistible appeal. Callan provides a kind of course curriculum on how to cultivate charm in all aspects of our lives. It's easy to follow and something every woman - no matter where she lives - can practice every day.
Jamie Cat Callan is the author of the bestselling books French Women Don't Sleep Alone, Bonjour, Happiness!, and Ooh La La! French Women's Secrets to Feeling Beautiful Every Day. Her books have been published in twenty-one countries and have been featured in major magazines. She makes her home in New York's Hudson Valley at La Belle Farm, where she and her husband have created a little bit of France and grow lavender, sunflowers and produce their own brand of French sparkling apple cider.
Books will be available for purchase and signing.For further information, please contact Cynde Bloom Lahey, Director of Library Information Services, at (203) 899-2780, or clahey@norwalkpubliclibrary.org.

Joseph A. Williams

The Sunken Gold: A Story of World War I Espionage and the Greatest Treasure Salvage in History

In The Sunken Gold, Williams presents a century old retrieval mission with the daring secrecy that accompanies new underwater military missions. He takes readers from the haunting coastline of Lough Swilly to the depths of the ocean to the great war halls of London, with accompanying moments of humanity and touches of gentle humor.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing.

Joseph A. Williams is a librarian, archivist, and historian holding Master's degrees in History and Library and Information Science from Queens College. He worked for several years as the Head of Collections and Assistant Director of the State University of New York Maritime College's Stephen B. Luce Library, which specializes in nautical research. Currently the Deputy Director of Greenwich Library, he has published in the fields of maritime history, and librarianship, with articles appearing in scholarly journals, popular sea history magazines, trade publications, and anthologies. His first book, Seventeen Fathoms Deep, is an action-packed narrative of the 1927 submarine S-4 disaster. He lives in Ridgefield, CT.

Working virtually is easier than ever before. Thanks to a variety of inexpensive (and often free) tools, today's entrepreneurs have the freedom and flexibility to work when, where, and how they want.

Key points covered include:

* Making use of online and offline tools

* How to organize your data effectively

* How to avoid the biggest mistakes made in most of virtual businesses

Belinda Wasser:A business workflow and logistics expert with 25 years of experience, Rocket Girl Solutions Founder Belinda Wasser is hired by small businesses on a contract basis to act as their part-time, "business manager." She has worked with a range of high profile companies, including Digitas, EDS and The Center for Quality of Management.

Acing the Interview

Thursday, March 8

2-3 pm

Google Drive

En Español

Saturday, March 24

10 - 11:30 am

Twitter Basics

Saturday, March 31

10 - 11:30 am

Also Available: The Computer Tutor

From adding photos to the cloud to setting up an

account to borrow digital content, we are here to help.

Sign up now for a private 30 minute appointment.

Book Discussion

Readers' Choice Book Group

A Piece of the World

Christina Baker Kline

Wednesday, March 14

2:00 pm

Norwalk Senior Center

11 Allen Rd. Norwalk, Ct

Norwalk Library's Director of Library Information Services, Cynde Bloom Lahey, will lead a discussion on A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth's mysterious and iconic painting Christina's World.

"Later he told me that he'd been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn't like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won't stay hidden."

To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family's remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century.

As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America's history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.

Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.

Biography:

Christina Baker Kline is the author of instant New York Times bestseller A PIECE OF THE WORLD (Feb. 2017), about the relationship between the artist Andrew Wyeth and the subject of his best-known painting, Christina's World. Kline has written five other novels -- Orphan Train, The Way Life Should Be, Sweet Water, Bird in Hand, and Desire Lines-- and written or edited five works of nonfiction. Her 2013 novel Orphan Train spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list, including five weeks at # 1, and was published in 40 countries. More than 100 communities and colleges have chosen it as a "One Book, One Read" selection. Her adaptation of Orphan Train for young readers is Orphan Train Girl (May 2017).

In addition to her novels, Kline has commissioned and edited two widely praised collections of original essays on the first year of parenthood and raising young children, Child of Mine and Room to Grow, and edited a book on grieving, Always Too Soon. She is co-editor, with Anne Burt, of a collection of personal essays called About Face: Women Write About What They See When They Look in the Mirror, and is co-author, with her mother, Christina Looper Baker, of a book on feminist mothers and daughters, The Conversation Begins. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Money, More, and Psychology Today, among other places.

Kline was born in Cambridge, England, and raised there as well as in the American South and Maine. She is a graduate of Yale, Cambridge, and the University of Virginia, where she was a Henry Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing. She has taught fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, English literature, literary theory, and women's studies at Yale, NYU, and Drew University, and served as Writer-in-Residence at Fordham University for four years. She is a recipient of several Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Bring your lunch and join Reference Librarian Susannah Violino for a lively discussion of Kitchens of the Last Days of Night by Graham Monroe..

From Amazon:

From Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian, comes a thrilling novel-based on actual events-about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America.

New York, 1888. Gas lamps still flicker in the city streets, but the miracle of electric light is in its infancy. The person who controls the means to turn night into day will make history-and a vast fortune. A young untested lawyer named Paul Cravath, fresh out of Columbia Law School, takes a case that seems impossible to win. Paul's client, George Westinghouse, has been sued by Thomas Edison over a billion-dollar question: Who invented the light bulb and holds the right to power the country?

The case affords Paul entry to the heady world of high society-the glittering parties in Gramercy Park mansions, and the more insidious dealings done behind closed doors. The task facing him is beyond daunting. Edison is a wily, dangerous opponent with vast resources at his disposal-private spies, newspapers in his pocket, and the backing of J. P. Morgan himself. Yet this unknown lawyer shares with his famous adversary a compulsion to win at all costs. How will he do it?

In obsessive pursuit of victory, Paul crosses paths with Nikola Tesla, an eccentric, brilliant inventor who may hold the key to defeating Edison, and with Agnes Huntington, a beautiful opera singer who proves to be a flawless performer on stage and off. As Paul takes greater and greater risks, he'll find that everyone in his path is playing their own game, and no one is quite who they seem.

Weekly Programs

Zumba with Karen

Children & Parents - Mondays

5:00 - 5:45 pm

Adults & Teens - Mondays

6:00 - 7:00 pm

Low Impact Aerobics with Linda

in March

Tuesdays Thursdays

1:30 - 2:30 pm 1:30 - 2:30 pm

Auditorium Teen Room

Linda Lombardo is known to local residents for her work as a Silver Sneakers instructor, Linda has been a Business Education teacher with the New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Greenwich and Stamford Public School Systems for over 20 years. She is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a health fitness instructor, personal trainer and nutrition counselor. Stop by on Tuesday or Thursday to welcome Linda and try out a new version of Low Impact Aerobics.

Caffe' e Conversazione with members of Vini, Vitti, Dici! -- an Italian community salon dedicated to promoting Italian language and culture in an informal setting will meet on Saturday, Mar. 3, 10, 17 and 24th. at 10am in the Carnegie room. NO Session on March 31, Passover & Holy Saturday.

You must RSVP by the Friday before to confirm time and meeting. This is not a class for beginners! Participants must be able to carry on a conversation around a timely topic.

The Norwalk Public Library System is pleased to announce that the free, full service VITA/IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance Program, will be available at the Main library, South Norwalk branch and other locations from February 1 through April 17.

This program provides free state and federal income tax preparation and e-filing, with special attention to seniors and low to moderate income households. Our aim is to make tax filing more convenient and available to Norwalk residents. Once again, the Norwalk Public Library will partner with the IRS through the VITA program and its IRS-certified volunteers. Along with its companion AARP program, more than 65,000 volunteers will provide service at over 9,000 sites across the country. Previously in Connecticut,more than 52,000 federal returns were prepared and e-filed, in addition to an equal number of state returns and many amended filings.

Burbio.com - Norwalk Calendars

We are excited to announce a great new service that will allow you to easily keep track of everything going on at the library and all over Norwalk. Introducing Burbio.com a free website and app that puts ALL Norwalk schools, library and many other community calendars and events in one place. With Burbio, you can select calendars to follow, create a personalized event feed, sync local events to your Google or iPhone calendars instantly and get notified when things change!

NPL has partnered with drivers-test.org to bring you the current CT DMV driver's practice tests for free! Included are car, motorcycle, CDL practice test, and the driver's manuals for each test. Also included are accessibility tools that let users hear selections read aloud, make them into MP3s, translate pages into other languages, magnify text, and mask portions of the screen for greater visibility on the practice tests.

This driver education program contains the following CT-specific information:

- 11 car practice tests

- 9 motorcycle practice tests

- 12 CDL (commercial driver's license) practice tests

- 3 online driver's manuals (car, motorcycle, CDL)

- A FAQ section with detailed answers to over 100 DMV-related questions

Social Security @ NPL

The Social Security Administration offers their Video Service Delivery program at the Norwalk Public Library. This service is available every Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon in a small study room on the first floor of the Main Library. People needing to speak with a Social Security employee will be able to do so. Video conferencing equipment has been set up so people can speak face to face with the Social Security employee. No appointment is necessary. This service was made available as a result of the closing of the Social Security office in Norwalk a few years ago.

For more information call the reference desk at 203-899-2780 ext. 15109